What Is the Use of Anointing Oil in the New Testament Church?
1) Direct answer
Anointing oil in the New Testament Church is used as a simple, God-given ordinance for the sick. It is a sign of consecration, pointing to the Holy Spirit, while the healing itself comes through faith in the Name of the Lord Jesus and the prayer of faith.
2) Scriptural explanation
- The Bible says, “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up” (James 5:14–15).
- When the disciples were sent out, “they anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them” (Mark 6:13).
- The real anointing is the Spirit: “You have an unction from the Holy One” (1 John 2:20) and “the anointing…abides in you” (1 John 2:27). Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me” (Luke 4:18).
3) Simple clarifying logic
- Now notice, the oil itself has no healing virtue. The Scripture puts the emphasis here: “the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.” The oil is a token of obedience and a sign that this person is set apart to God for His intervention.
- You see, God uses simple tokens—water in baptism, bread and cup in communion, oil in prayer for the sick—to point to the unseen reality, which is the Holy Spirit working through the Word.
- James directs the sick to call for the elders. They anoint in the Name of the Lord, pray the prayer of faith, and the Lord performs what He promised. That keeps the glory with God, not with the ritual.
- This does not make oil a charm. Without faith and the Name of the Lord, oil is just oil. Nor should we throw it away as “just a custom,” because the command is given to the Church in the Epistle.
- For ordaining workers, the New Testament shows laying on of hands (Acts 13:3; 1 Timothy 4:14). For healing the sick, it shows anointing with oil and prayer. We keep each ordinance in its place.
4) Short reinforcing statement
Use it the Bible way: the sick call, the elders come, anoint with oil in the Name of the Lord Jesus, confess faults, pray the prayer of faith, and expect the Lord to raise them up. The oil is the sign; the Holy Spirit is the Anointer; the Word is the ground of our confidence.
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What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Hearing, receiving, and acting
60-0607 §47
I went to my own Baptist church and said to the pastor, "Got some anointing oil?" He said, "What do you want with anointing oil?" I said, "I want to be anointed." Said, "What for?" I said, "I'm sick." "What's the matter with you?" I said, "I can't ... eyes is bad. I can't hardly see. Take these glasses off, and they have to lead me around, astigmatism." "Oh," he said, "Billy!" I said, "That's right. You ain't got any? I'll bring you some." I went down and got me some oil and prayed over it, and come up and handed i...
Daniel 9: The sixfold purpose of Gabriel's visitation
61-0730E §73
Now, in II Chronicles, turn over, and we'll see the dedication that ... when the Holy Spirit took His seat at the tabernacle. And watch what taken place now. In II Chronicles, the fifth chapter and let's begin at the thirteenth verse---II Chronicles, the fifth chapter, and begin at the thirteenth verse: And it came ... to pass, as the trumpets and the singers were... , to make one sound to be heard the praising and thanksgiving of the LORD; and when they lifted up their voices with the trumpet and the cymbals and t...
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65-1121 §8
Then I find that in the book of the New Testament, where Paul, which is the author (not the author, but the writer) of the New testament. He also was drove out from among his people, and by the Spirit, into the Arabia, where he was three and a half years, to find the inspiration. And Paul is the chief writer of the New Testament. Now there is Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but they were scribes that just wrote what Jesus said, as they followed Him along. But, you take the book to Timothy, and to the Romans, and to...
Faith in the Son of God
52-0715 §13
Now, here comes a man up here, maybe, that's sick. He's standing here with a... The doctor says he's going to die. He's filled with TB. Here he comes up to the pastor, he says, "Pastor, I--I'm... The doctor tells me I'm going to die. I--I'm--I pray, you pray with me, pastor." The pastor says, "All right." Now, the pastor, if he's not a gifted man, or so forth with understanding he'd better anoint the man with oil, because that's what stands between him and the sickness (See?), or he could take it hisself. Now, he t...
Token
63-0901M §137
Now, remember, Hebrews, 13:10-20, a "everlasting covenant." God's Blood-bound promise makes us free from sin. Amen! There is no sin in Him. Sin, self, flesh. Worship Him, and show forth His promised power. God's Blood-bound, Token-bound covenant people, has the Spirit of Jesus Christ in here that "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do, shall he do also." Displaying the covenant, see. New Testament, "testament" means covenant. That is right, isn't it Dr. Vayle? Testament means covenant. The New Testament mean...